The square beside the Guggenheim is a marked trailhead. From Plaza Euskadi, 1.1 kilometres of signposted route reach the GR 228, the long-distance path that circles Bilbao through the wooded hills above it.
Can you go hiking straight from the centre of Bilbao? Yes. The shortest signposted entrance to the GR 228 leaves Plaza Euskadi, beside the Guggenheim, and joins the trail in 1.1 kilometres. Begoña offers a second entrance of the same length, and the full loop measures 38.1 kilometres.
The Bilbao Green Belt is a 38.1-kilometre circular trail that rings the city through five municipal forest parks.
Joining the trail without leaving town
Most cities put their hiking an hour away by car. Bilbao publishes the distance from nine of its own neighbourhoods to the trail, and the shortest two measure 1.1 kilometres, one from Plaza Euskadi and one from Begoña.
That first one matters to anyone whose Bilbao itinerary is already built around the Guggenheim, because the museum and the trailhead share a square. There is no transfer, no timetable and no ticket involved: the marked route starts where the pavement does and climbs to the recreation area of Berriz, on the Artxanda side.
Three more entrances stay under three and a half kilometres. Moyua joins the trail in 1.9 kilometres by the old Lezama road, Errekalde reaches Arraiz in 2.1, and Santutxu reaches Santa Marina in 3.0. Each is signposted independently and each carries its own distance, so an afternoon on the hill can be measured before leaving the hotel.
The white-and-red marks of a Spanish Gran Recorrido identify the route once you are on it, and panels at the viewpoints name the summits in sight.
The loop, and the two stages it splits into
The full circle is 38.1 kilometres, and Bilbao City Council recommends walking it in two stages rather than one, each starting from a panel at street level.
Stage 1 runs from Deustu to Bolueta by way of Monte Avril. It starts beside the Euskalduna Bridge, crosses the Deustu district, climbs to the Berriz recreation area, skirts the flanks of Artxanda and passes beneath the funicular tracks. At Arabella it joins the Camino de Santiago as far as Iturritxualde, crosses the Monte Avril forest park to Kurubiolanda and drops to Bolueta through Arbolantxa and Txurdinaga.
Stage 2 runs from Bolueta back to Deustu over Pagasarri. It begins by the Bolueta towers, near the metro stop, passes through Abusu, crosses the Ibaizabal river, heads for Buia and starts the climb to Pagasarri at Beteluri, through the Pastorekorta recreation area. From the Pagasarri refuge it descends to Arraiz around Arrastaleku, meets the Camino de Santiago again at Kobeta and reaches Zorroza through Zazpilanda, closing the circle at the Euskalduna Bridge from Olabeaga.
Because both stages start and finish in the city, one can be walked on one day and the other on another, using the network described in the guide to the Bilbao metro and tram.
Five forest parks and 18 picnic areas
The city owns 1,025 hectares of forest land, organised into five parks the trail crosses in turn: Artxanda, Monte Avril, Arnotegi, Pagasarri and Arraiz.
Spread across them are 18 recreation areas with tables, benches, bins, children’s play areas and panoramic panels. The ground given over to them has grown from 27 to 135 hectares, and 18,500 trees have been planted, mostly native birch, oak, beech and ash, with some lime and American oak among them.
| Forest park | Recreation areas | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Artxanda | Berriz, Pikotamendi, Vía Vieja de Lezama, La Cantera, Guardaviñas | 5 areas |
| Monte Avril | Mendigana, Agirleta, Iturritxualde, Arbolantza | 4 areas |
| Arnotegi | Atxokorre, Landeta Goiko, Arnotegi Beheko, Elordi | 4 areas |
| Pagasarri | Gangoiti, Igertu, Refugio, Pastorekorta | 4 areas |
| Arraiz | Arraiz | 1 area |
The split is not even, and it decides where a picnic works. Artxanda holds five of the 18 areas and Arraiz holds one, so a hill that looks equivalent on the map offers a fifth of the facilities once you are standing on it.
The closed way up Pagasarri
Pagasarri is the hill Bilbao claims as its own, and the most direct marked way up it is currently shut. The Errekalde access is closed for the duration of the Supersur roadworks, as published by Bilbao City Council.
Two provisional routes replace it. One reaches Pagasarri around Arraiz and Gangoiti in 7.3 kilometres. The other climbs to the Pastorekorta recreation area in 8.6 kilometres, the longest of every signposted entrance.
Comparing the published distances produces a result the signage does not spell out: Pastorekorta is now closer from Zabalburu, at 6.7 kilometres, than from Errekalde, at 8.6. That is 1.9 kilometres saved by starting from a district that is not even at the foot of the hill, which is exactly the sort of thing a distance-labelled entrance list makes checkable.
Bilbao City Council announces seven urban accesses and two variants in total, and the published list carries nine access lines because one is closed and two of those shown are the provisional routes replacing it.
| Entrance to the GR 228 | Distance | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Plaza Euskadi to Berriz | 1.1 kilometres | Access |
| Begoña to Atxetabide | 1.1 kilometres | Access |
| Moyua to the old Lezama road | 1.9 kilometres | Access |
| Errekalde to Arraiz | 2.1 kilometres | Access |
| Santutxu to Santa Marina | 3.0 kilometres | Access |
| Olabeaga to Kobetas park | 3.2 kilometres | Variant |
| Zorrotza to Pozo de los Caballos | 5.4 kilometres | Variant |
| Zabalburu to Pastorekorta | 6.7 kilometres | Access |
| Errekalde to Pagasarri via Arraiz and Gangoiti | 7.3 kilometres | Provisional |
| Errekalde to Pastorekorta | 8.6 kilometres | Provisional |
| Errekalde to Pagasarri | Closed | Supersur roadworks |
Choosing an entrance
- An afternoon free → Plaza Euskadi or Begoña, 1.1 kilometres to the trail
- Staying near the Ensanche → Moyua to the old Lezama road, 1.9 kilometres
- Set on Pagasarri → Zabalburu to Pastorekorta, 6.7 kilometres, shorter today than Errekalde
- Walking with children → Artxanda, which holds five of the 18 recreation areas
- No appetite for the climb → the Artxanda funicular, 3 minutes and €3.50
- Going for the whole circle → 38.1 kilometres over two stages
Going up without walking
Of the five forest parks, only Artxanda has mechanical transport of its own. The funicular covers the climb in 3 minutes, at €3.50 for a single and €6.00 for a return, with seasonal hours in the guide to the Artxanda funicular.
That single fact reshapes an itinerary. Artxanda fits into a spare hour between museums; Pagasarri does not, because reaching it means the 6.7 kilometres from Zabalburu before the climbing starts.
Beyond the city limits, Bizkaia runs a second funicular built for commuting rather than views, from La Escontrilla up to Larreineta at €1.02 with a Barik card, covered in the guide to the Larreineta funicular. The full count of public lifts and funiculars in the province, panoramic municipal lifts included, is in the inventory of public lifts and funiculars.
For green space that needs a journey rather than a walk, the nearest hard-data reference is the Oma Painted Forest, free but bookable, at 2.8 kilometres on foot from Santimamiñe, set out in the guide to the Oma Painted Forest.
Frequently asked questions about hiking in Bilbao
Can you go hiking straight from central Bilbao?
Yes. The shortest signposted entrance to the GR 228 leaves Plaza Euskadi, beside the Guggenheim, and reaches the trail in 1.1 kilometres. A second entrance of the same length starts at Begoña, and a third covers 1.9 kilometres from Moyua.
How long is the Bilbao Green Belt trail?
38.1 kilometres in a full circle around the city, according to Bilbao City Council, split into two recommended stages starting at Deustu and at Bolueta. Both stages begin and end at street level, so neither needs a car.
Which hills surround Bilbao?
Five forest parks, Artxanda, Monte Avril, Arnotegi, Pagasarri and Arraiz, covering 1,025 hectares of municipal forest land. The GR 228 crosses all five, and 18 picnic areas are spread between them with tables, benches and panoramic panels.
Is there a shortcut up any of Bilbao’s hills?
Only at Artxanda, which has a funicular. The ride takes 3 minutes and a single ticket costs €3.50. The other four forest parks have no mechanical transport of their own and are reached on foot or by city bus.
Which entrance leads to Pagasarri?
The direct Errekalde access is closed for the Supersur works. Bilbao City Council keeps two provisional routes, 7.3 kilometres via Arraiz and Gangoiti and 8.6 kilometres to Pastorekorta, and the 6.7-kilometre Zabalburu access is currently shorter than either.
A city that publishes the distance from each district to its own trail has decided the hills are part of it.